Tour & Design
The front of the Samsung LN65B650 is a glossy black affair. Under the Samsung logo is the power LED. In the bottom right corner are some touch controls. They perform the TV's basic functions. We weren't able to get a good shot of them, but believe us when we say they're there.
Back
We couldn't get a good shot of the LN65B650's back, because it was placed near a wall. The back is pretty plain. You can see some cables running into the ports, but chances are you aren't shocked to learn there are ports on the back of the TV. This shot also offers a better view of the foliage surrounding the LN65B650. **
Sides
The left side is partially pictured above, and had no features. Since the right side does have a few ports on it, we hacked away at the jungle concealing it and took the following photograph.
Stand/Mount
The stand is a standard Samsung TV stand. If you think it looks different, you're probably confusing that small horizontal speaker for an actual part of the TV.
Aesthetics
The LN65B650 is simple, understated, and doesn't have any significant design flourishes. It looks like the other B650 sets, only bigger. If you like the Touch o' Color thing, you'll like this TV.
Performance Features
Display Size & Technology
The Samsung LN65B650 is, as we've mentioned, 65 inches. This is quite large, almost frighteningly so. It's as if they've made this TV as an ironic device that can literally crush technophiles with technology.
Formats & Resolution
The TV is 1080p, which means it can display the highest HD content available. This is a good thing too, because stretching a 480p signal out over 65 inches would probably let you see the cracks in between pixels.
Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio
The LN65B650’s Ultra Clear Panel technology creates a vibrant picture by enhancing colors and reducing glare, even in rooms with a lot of ambient light. The Wide Color Enhancer 3 ensures accurate reproduction of colors with shows, movies, games and more, regardless of the viewing environment.
· 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
Samsung boasts about a few features that should help contrast ratio, namely the Spectral Contrast Engine. This feature should provide deep blacks, vibrant colors, and judder reduction. From looking at the demo reel, the colors did, in fact look vibrant, and the blacks were deep. We're looking forward to putting the Spectral Engine to test in our lab.
Color
Other than the Spectral Engine, which was discussed above and seems to be slang for 'we improved picture quality,' the LN65B650 doesn't have any color-specific features.
Motion & Refresh Rate
Auto Motion Plus™ 120Hz frame-interpolation technology, partnered with a quick 4ms response time, to reduce blurring caused by fast movement shown onscreen. Advanced users can also customize how Auto Motion Plus handles judder and motion blur to suit their taste.
Viewing Angle
Samsung's LCDs all seemed to have great viewing angles. We were able to get out to about 60° or so before we noticed the contrast had fallen.
Connectivity & Media
Audio & Video Ports
The LN65B650 has a good selection of ports. It has four HDMIs, three on back and one on the side. On the back you'll also find two component video inputs, one composite video ins, a VGA input, an S-VIDEO port, two analog audio ins, a 3.5mm audio jack, one analog audio output, and one digital audio output. Not pictured below: the RF input. We swear it's off to the right, covered by those HDMI cables.
The side also has a set of analog A/V inputs, as well as a service port.
Media & Other Connectivity
The LN65B650 has two (2) USB ports and a (1) LAN. The USB ports will allow you to play back all kinds of visual or aural media, providing they're in a file format that Samsung recognizes (MPEG4, DivX, MP3, JPEG). The LAN port gives you access to Samsung’s Medi@2.0 Suite, which has apparently come quite a ways since we last reviewed a Samsung.
Placement
The LN65B650 has great port placement. First of all, they're right near the side of the set, making them very easy to access. Secondly, the stand swivels, making the ports even easier to access. The only downside is that swiveling an object this large will probably make you nervous.
Audio
Samsung was kind enough to let us know a two facts about the speakers: there are two 15-watts speakers on the set.
Controls, Menu & Remote
Remote
We didn't get to see the remote, but we're hoping it isn't the awkward claw-shaped one that Samsung's been pushing lately.
Controls
The on-set controls have the same functionality as every other group of on-set controls: power, menu, input, channel, and volume. The trick here is that they're touch buttons on the lower right corner of the bezel. This will likely be slightly annoying when you're trying to access the ports, because you'll probably touch the menu and channel buttons dozens of times while cautiously swiveling the massive display.
Menu
We weren't able to see the menu on the show floor. If we had to guess, it has the same menu each other TV in the B650 series has.
Conclusion
Series Comparison
B650 Series
The B650 series is internet-capable, refreshes at 120Hz, and can display 1080p content.
Meet the tester
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
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